Hey, solo swimmers! :wave: Welcome to the thread for all of us who train solo. Whether you train on your own due to a lack of a Masters team in your area (or for any other reason), this is our virtual locker room. Please post training tips that you think would be helpful, or anything else you would like to share with the rest of us. Have a rant? Go ahead and vent here! :rantonoff:
I'll start with a tip:
The most frustrating thing for me training solo is not having a coach on deck to evaluate my stroke and keep me on track, so I bought a waterproof camera and enlisted the help of my husband to periodically shoot video of all four strokes. Shooting underwater video became a knee/back buster, so I bought a camera mount and attached it to PVC pipe, so my husband could stand up straight to shoot underwater video. The camera gets dunked underwater, and he twists the pipe to pan the camera as I swim by.
Today, I bought a 2-pack of 12-inch "Gear Tie" reusable rubber twist ties (available at Home Depot), so I can tie the PVC pipe to the pool ladder (located in the corner of the pool) and shoot video myself. (If I angle the camera just right and keep it on wide angle, I can video me coming and going.)
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After each video session, I upload the videos to my desktop computer and compare my stroke to my favorite Go Swim stroke videos to see what I'm doing well (or not). I also post them on the Forums for feedback.
Ok, solo swimmers, what's your tip?
Just wanted to post an update and a small vent. I am definitely going to head up to the Olympic Swim Center this coming week.
I just got notified that the ALTS class I was hoping to take IN NOVEMBER, is being cancelled because the Theresa Banks Aquatic Center will be closed for maintenance that week. I AM still on the roster for the other swim classes, so, I hope THEY are not cancelled. I've been able to get to the College swim center quite a few times, and overall I like swimming there. (Although I am still more comfortable in a pool where there are lanes shallower than my own height - I like to be able to touch bottom). Maybe I have a touch of aquaphobia, even though I can tread water and basically do swim after a fashion. I don't like to worry I will get winded and be stuck mid-lap. This (and breathing) is why I feel like I need swim classes.
Anyway, it's discouraging to have classes so hard to find and then being cancelled. I am going to check on what the cost is for a non-resident in AA County, and whether there are any openings. If I HAVE to travel to find a swim class session, so be it. I can always practice on my own at my nearby pool, I guess.
I hope everybody's doing well.
Just wanted to post an update and a small vent. I am definitely going to head up to the Olympic Swim Center this coming week.
I just got notified that the ALTS class I was hoping to take IN NOVEMBER, is being cancelled because the Theresa Banks Aquatic Center will be closed for maintenance that week. I AM still on the roster for the other swim classes, so, I hope THEY are not cancelled. I've been able to get to the College swim center quite a few times, and overall I like swimming there. (Although I am still more comfortable in a pool where there are lanes shallower than my own height - I like to be able to touch bottom). Maybe I have a touch of aquaphobia, even though I can tread water and basically do swim after a fashion. I don't like to worry I will get winded and be stuck mid-lap. This (and breathing) is why I feel like I need swim classes.
Anyway, it's discouraging to have classes so hard to find and then being cancelled. I am going to check on what the cost is for a non-resident in AA County, and whether there are any openings. If I HAVE to travel to find a swim class session, so be it. I can always practice on my own at my nearby pool, I guess.
I hope everybody's doing well.
